Hurricane Earl, the 5th storm of the 2016 hurricane season, has forced at least three cruise lines (Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Royal Caribbean) to alter cruise itineraries.
Hurricane Earl currently has maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and is moving west at 14 mph towards the Western Caribbean. The storm is currently located off of the coast of Honduras and is expected to gain in strength as it heads towards the Yucatan Peninsula.
The National Hurricane Center has issued an advisory regarding Hurricane Earl. There is a tropical storm/hurricane watch for the shores of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Tropical storms become hurricanes when maximum sustained winds are greater than 74 mph.
Royal Caribbean Blog is reporting that Royal Caribbean has made changes to the itineraries of Liberty of the Seas and Empress of the Seas. Liberty of the Seas will no longer make port stops in Belize and Roatan, but will now have an extra sea day and stop in Nassau, Bahamas. The ship is in Cozumel today. Empress of the Seas will bypass a stop in Grand Cayman but will add port stops in Nassau and the Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas, CocoCay.
Carnival Cruise Line told Cruise Fever that they have made changes to the itineraries on two of their cruise ships. Carnival Glory is replacing stops in Belize and Roatan with stops in Nassau and Freeport. Carnival Magic will no longer stop in Belize but will now have a fun day at sea. The stop in Cozumel is being moved up one day.
Norwegian Cruise Line has canceled a port stop in Belize for Norwegian Escape. The ship will now make a stop in Nassau to replace the missed port.
It is rare for cruise lines to cancel cruises due to tropical storms or hurricanes. It is common for cruises to change itineraries so they can stay safely out of the path of a storm. This might mean sailing to the Eastern Caribbean instead of the Western Caribbean or having extra sea days.
For the latest on Hurricane Earl, visit the National Hurricane Center.
Cruise Fever will continue to monitor Hurricane Earl and will have all changes made to cruise itineraries when they are announced.
